


Five || Dylan Klebold

by columqueens



Category: Columbine - Fandom, True Crime - Fandom, dylanklebold, ericharris
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Fanfiction, Fiction, Love, Teen Fiction, wattpad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 12:04:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19393759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/columqueens/pseuds/columqueens
Summary: Lily is switching to public school for the first time since fifth grade. An anxiety-ridden, socially-conscious girl, it's difficult for her to make friends at first. Then, a tall blond somewhat-intimidating (with a heart of gold, of course) boy decides to take interest in her. However, this same boy is harboring dark plans.Five is the center of the downward spiral. The core. The heart. Where everything starts and everything ends.Coincidentally, that was his favorite number.





	1. Chapter 1

I had always been the weird girl when I went to public school, and now that I was returning, I’m sure nothing would have changed. After five years of attending an all girls private school in Littleton, I was officially switching back to the public school system and attending Columbine High for my last two years of high school. 

I had been the new girl before. When I started at a private school in sixth grade, everyone was tightly knit with their elementary school buddies, leaving me as the extra piece in the completed puzzle. Some girls would invite me to their birthday party, or ask if I’d like to tag along with them and their friends for lunch on a half day, but no one was really close with me. I’d say I had one decent friend. Her name was Brenna Chillcott and she was a bit of a know it all, but at least she talked to me. 

The morning of the first day of school, I could barely sleep. I was already wide awake by the time my alarm went off, instantly hitting it and hugging myself in bed. I was completely terrified. Only minutes later did my mom barrel into the room and shake me, presuming I had slept through the alarm.

“Lily sweetie, wake up! It’s time for-” I cut her off.

“I’m already up.” I gazed out my window as I lied in bed, not facing her.

“Oh. Well, start getting ready. I’ll go make breakfast!” She patted my arm and left at last, leaving me to my own nerve-racking thoughts.

Eventually, I made my way out of bed. I used my hands to throw some cheap drugstore foundation over my face. I added blue eyeliner in my waterline and mascara with some pink lipgloss. It didn’t look great, but it did the job. I put on a floral dress with spaghetti straps that went down to around my knees. It appeared to be fairly hot outside, but I slipped a flannel over the outfit anyways. I didn’t want people to think I was a freak already. I brushed my hair and put some black clips in it to hold it out of my face. The black contrasted well with my platinum blonde hair. Having done everything I needed to do to get ready, I begrudgingly went downstairs for breakfast.

My mom had made me some oatmeal with blueberries. She was going through a health kick, trying to become her best self after the divorce, even though it happened seven years ago. She practically had to fight with my dad to have custody of me on my first day. “She needs her mama,” she said, “who else will give her the courage? That new toy of yours?” I was sitting on the couch when she had phoned him in the kitchen, but I still heard his sigh. My mom couldn’t get it through her head that his “new toy” was now his wife of three years. He agreed nonetheless, clearly not willing to fight with my mom anymore.

“Oh, you look so pretty! Let me get the camera!” I had not even noticed my mom was watching me eat breakfast when she ran to the closet to get her old beat-up camera. I let her take a picture of me, closed mouth smile and all, before deciding it was high tide time I leave. 

I slipped on my mary jane shoes with some striped socks, grabbed my black jansport bag, and left. 

At private school, it was always too long of a distance for me to bike there and I always had to beg my parents to drive me. Columbine, however, was only an eight minute walk and a five minute bike ride. I shook my bike out of its rack in the garage and started to pedal.

When I got to the school, it seemed like not a lot of people biked. The student parking lot was pretty packed. I almost got hit by an old BMW, apologizing to the driver instantly to avoid conflict. I chained my bike up to the racks and readjusted my bag on my shoulders. This day would probably be awful.

Apparently, it was a blue day. That meant I had my first, third, fifth and seventh period classes. I was seeming to adapt nicely.

Seeing as it was already about 7:20 and I still had to navigate my first class, I decided against finding my locker. I could always just lug my bag around all day, and it appeared I would be doing just that. My first class was English, all the way on the opposite side of the building.

By the time I got to class, I was sweating profusely. I regretted the flannel, but I couldn’t take it off under any circumstances. If people remembered me, I’d be labeled of a freak. If people had forgotten about me and I had shown them my arms, I’d become the freak once more.

I sat in the back of my first class. And my second. And my third. I spent lunch in the library. The first day of school was always introductions and icebreakers, so I did not pay much attention. My final class of the day was theatre tech. It was just a random elective I’d chosen and I wasn’t even that interested, but I needed another class.

Theatre tech was held in the auditorium. I noticed a few people I’d seen in earlier classes. Some ginger girl from my math class was in the front row. A girl with really long braided hair and lots of freckles that I’d seen in the hallway was chatting with her friends. A boy with dirty blond hair that I saw in my english class was in the very back. His name was David or something. I decided to stay safe and sit by myself to the side of all the clusters.

The teacher came in and started smiling and going over the syllabus. I was bored out of my mind. Today made no room for my anxiety to make an appearance because it was just that boring. However, today’s icebreaker was going to be getting into small groups of three and making a movie poster. Sounded easy enough until the teacher asked us to choose our own groups. Everybody seemed to know who they’d be grouping with. There appeared to be four popular girls in the class- one of them being braids girl- who wanted to work together, but the teacher said no because the number of kids could be perfectly separated into groups of three. She groaned. 

“Okay, who does not have a partner at this time?” she called, looking around the room. I shakily raised my hand, not really wanting to be grouped with braids girl. She smiled. “Alright, you two work with McKenna!” I swung my head around to see the other group member. It was that boy.

McKenna, as her name was apparently, led the two of us to a far corner of the auditorium and we all sat on the floor. “I’ll get markers!” she sprung up the moment she saw her friends crowding around the supplies. I just stared at the blue-grey carpet and played with the loose strands. It seemed to me like McKenna would not be returning any time soon.

“Uh, hi. I’m Dylan,” the boy mumbled. Damn, I got his name wrong. He had a deep voice but that might have just been because he was talking so quietly. I quickly looked up at him and then back down.

“Oh. I’m Lily.” I avoided eye contact at all cost. My heart was racing and I did not know why.

He slightly smiled and sat up straighter. “Hey, weird question, but did you happen to bike to school today?” 

I slightly furrowed my brow. “Yeah, why? Did my bike get stolen?” I briefly began to panic.

“No, no, it’s just I think I almost hit you this morning,” he laughed.

I. Was. Mortified. I could feel my face turning red and my heart beating faster and faster. He must have noticed. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, it’s my first year here and I had no idea how the lot works, I’m really sorry,” I tripped over my words. His face became sort of concerned.

“What? Don’t worry about it. Even if it wasn’t your first year here, I wouldn’t have been mad. However, it might be useful to know that bikers typically use the sidewalk,” he chuckled.

I looked back down. “Oh. Thanks.”

Just as it looked like Dylan was about to say something, McKenna strutted back towards us, flinging her braids off and back onto her shoulder. She dumped a marker of each color of the rainbow before us.

“You forgot the paper,” Dylan commented.

“Shit!” She scrambled back up and went back to the supplies table. We had already wasted ten minutes.

“So you said you were new,” Dylan settled in, leaning back on his hands. “Did you just move here?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, no. I’ve lived here my whole life. I just switched back from private school.” I still refused to look at him despite him boring into me with his sparkling blue eyes.

“Cool. Did you go to Governor’s Ranch?” he asked.

“Yes, actually, but I was in CHIPS.” I snapped at the top of my sock to avoid eye contact.

“Seriously? Me too! Small world.” He was smiling. I could tell out of the corner of my eye. He was radiating happiness. “Are you making friends here? It’s not exactly the best schools, I’d say it kinda sucks, but you can still find some decent people.” He sat forward again and clasped his hands together.

“Not really. I guess that’s just cause I haven’t been putting myself out there.” I moved my legs around as I felt them growing tired.

“Really? Not just one person?”

“Actually, you’re the only person I’ve really talked to at all today,” I giggled a little and looked up at him finally, but once I saw him staring intently at me, I looked right back down.

“That sounds kinda odd to me considering you’re pretty nice.” I blushed and did not say anything. “Who’d you eat lunch with? The cheerleaders?” 

“Nope. The librarian,” my voice trailed off at the end.

“Oh. Well, you could always sit with me,” he offered.

“I don’t know. I barely know you. I don’t want to be intrusive.”

“Come on, Lily, just let a guy do you a favor. If you hate it that much, you can leave,” he pestered.

“Okay. I’ll consider it.” His face lit up. At the same time, though, McKenna returned. I barely spoke for the rest of the period.

When school finally ended, I could not have rushed out faster. The parking lot was full of people. I could barely get to the bike racks. When I did, I was not happy to see that a bird had taken a shit on the seat of my bike. “Goddammit,” I muttered. Some boy in a football jersey walked past and snickered. I decided to wait until everyone had left the building before I went back in to get paper towels. That ended up taking nearly half an hour.

I was sweat drenched and near tears when I could finally get myself into the building. I rushed down the hallway, getting hotter by the second in the august heat. I decided to take off my flannel and tie it around my waist. No one would see me anyways. 

Turning into the bathroom, I was slightly taken aback when I encountered a group of girls in cheerleading uniforms. I kept my head down and made a beeline for the paper towels, ignoring the whispers.

One girl smacked the gum in her mouth. “What are you doing here?” She put her hand on her hip.

“Oh, uh, I was just getting some p-paper towels-”

“Well you should have gotten them while school was still in session. You can’t be in here. We have practice to get ready for,” Another snapped.

“Sorry, I’ll just be a moment.” I grabbed a couple paper towels and tried to hurry out, but they wouldn’t let me.

“No. Get out of our bathroom!” she screamed.

“I-I’m trying to!” I claimed, still attempting to push past.

She glanced at my arm and made wide eyes at me. “Get out of here, you fat suicidal freak!” she laughed. I ran out, one of them grabbing the paper towels as I left.

I sprinted down the hallway. Some others were still in school so I instinctively pulled my flannel back on. By the time I got back outside, I had never been hotter and I was crying.

I had no way to call my mom and not much of a way to get home. I really did not want to walk, but I guess I had to. I unchained my bike and dragged it along next to me, sniffling and tripping over my own feet.

It had already been ten minutes by the time I’d gotten out of the parking lot and half way down the main road. I had no idea why it was taking me so long until I realized I had gone the wrong way. It all came crashing down on me at once. I slumped against the guard rail, put my face in my hands and wept. Forty minutes passed. The route to my house from school was so easy, I could easily have turned around and gotten my ass home, but I didn’t. I just sat on the sidewalk and cried like the loser I am. 

A few cars passed and I watched them. Sometimes, the passengers would stare. I assumed my face was covered in mascara by then. Suddenly, one of the cars zooming by pulled over in front of me and rolled down the window. It was a group of guys in Columbine football uniforms, smirking at me.

“Hey cutie, wanna ride? I can also give you a lift,” he snickered. His friends burst out laughing. I wrinkled my nose.

“I’ll pass,” I answered.

“Come on, what’s the worst thing that could happen? I’ll bet you’ll never get a chance with a guy like me ever again.” He eyed me up and down.

“Please just leave me alone,” I begged.

“Fine, jog home, then. Guys don’t like fatasses, babe,” he called and drove off.

A few minutes later, I tried to stand up, but my legs hurt and my feet had blisters. I tried to power through and walk further, but I had to sit back down. I had no idea how the hell I’d get home. Then, another car pulled over and rolled down the window. I had had enough. I turned aggressively, ready to scream at these boys, when I realized it wasn’t them at all.

It was Dylan.


	2. Chapter 2

“Lily? What are you doing?” He squinted at me and then his eyes widened. “Have you been crying?”

I furiously wiped away my tears. My day could not have been any more embarrassing. I decided to ignore the strange coincidence of Dylan finding me, even though my mind was running a mile a minute with the invasive thought that he had been following me. I scrambled to my feet and stared at him, my lips slightly parted. He pursed his lips. My knees were covered in gravel and dirt and I probably had pit stains at that point. Dylan probably thought I looked disgusting. 

Suddenly, he bit his lip and got out of his car, walking over toward me. I could feel my heartbeat as he walked toward me, but it turned out he was just getting my bike. He opened his car door and shoved it in the back seat. I was shocked. He turned back around and opened the passenger side door. 

“Come on, Lily. I’ll take you home.” He didn’t look at me as he said it. 

“What?” I choked out. “Why?”

He rolled his eyes. “Cus how else will you get home?”

“I’m fine. I don’t need a ride. I can get home just fine on my own.” My hands twitched at my sides. 

“Please don’t do this, Lily. Come on, I can drive you, please.” He turned his body to face me. 

“I barely know you! We spoke once, and only because it was for an assignment! What makes you think I’m not capable of getting home by myself?” I yelled. 

He was clearly shocked. “Okay, you want the truth?” He inhaled and pointed to a car parked a few hundred yards away from us and started speaking quieter. “You see those guys? I heard them talking about seeing if you’d stay until it’s dark, which by the way, isn’t long from now, and then throwing you into their car. I stopped listening after that. Thank god I happened to be in the area.”

My jaw had dropped. I did not know how to react other than hauling ass into that passenger seat. The second Dylan was in the car, I locked the doors. I didn’t speak until we were far away from the guys in the car. 

“Oh my god,” I mumbled. He didn’t say anything. I could feel the hot tears flowing down my cheeks again. I couldn’t seem to stop crying. After driving around a few blocks, he pulled over onto the curb and looked at me. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

I shook my head rapidly. “It was a shitty day.” He nodded understandingly. “I can’t believe this. Before you came, they were talking to me. Saying, well, vile things and making fun of me and I just, I didn’t know what to do so I just stayed there. I couldn’t ride my bike because it’s disgusting and I can’t get in touch with my mom, and it’s just been an awful day. I was way too far away from my house to walk at that point and I didn’t know what to do.” My voice cracked with each word. 

“Do you want me to drop you off at your house?” He asked soothingly. He wasn’t being incredibly supportive but I knew he too was unsure of how to act in this type of situation. 

“I guess.” I felt around in the pockets of my backpack for my keys when I realized I had left them on the kitchen counter. “Goddammit! Goddammit goddammit goddammit!” I screamed. Dylan was visibly surprised. “My mom isn’t home and I have no fucking keys!” I hid my face with my hands and took deep breaths. The only noise in the car for a while was my trembling breaths. 

“Um, you could come to my house if you want. My parents aren’t home either but at least I have keys.” He checked his pocket to make sure he wasn’t lying. 

I wiped my eyes. “Do I really have any other option?” I asked angrily. He looked down and nodded once. I sighed. “I’m sorry, that was rude. This is a lot to lay down on a person whose last name I don’t even know.” I looked out the window. He drove silently and I felt awful. We passed the suburbs of Littleton. I stared at the road, concentrating on the lines and how they skipped every once in a while due to weathered paint. My head felt very hot from all the crying so I pressed it against the cold window. 

“It’s Klebold.”

I turned around. His eyes were focused on the road. “What?”

“My last name,” he murmured. “It’s Klebold.”

“Oh.” I shifted so I was facing the windshield. “Mine is Kodlige. Lilian Kodlige,” I annunciated. 

“Funky last name.”

“Yours too, I guess.”

Finally, he pulled into his long driveway. His house was big and modern. It was interesting. Not my taste, but interesting. Once he parked, I didn’t bother getting out and just stared up at everything. To my surprise, he strutted over and opened my door to let me out. I blushed a little. 

He led me in through the front door and I took it all in. The air conditioning was on and it felt amazingly cool. He gestured toward a wall mounted phone. 

“You can call your mom if you’d like.” He threw his bag on the couch and sat down, twiddling his thumbs. 

I picked up the phone and dialed my house phone. Once it went to voicemail, I left a message. “Hey mom, it’s Lily. Uh, something happened with my bike so I couldn’t ride it home, but um,” I wasn’t sure what to call Dylan in this situation, “a friend offered for me to stay at their place until you get home. Oh yeah, I forgot my keys, too. I guess call this number,” I whispered to Dylan, “what’s the number?” He said it back to me and I repeated it into the phone. “Bye mom.” I hung up, trying to remember the digits myself. 

As I slowly walked to the couch, I became conscious of how loud my shoes were with each step. I sat with him, as far away as I could be. “Is it okay if I take off my shoes?” I asked. He nodded. I didn’t know why he wouldn’t look at me. 

I slipped off my Mary Janes, deciding to leave my socks on so my feet wouldn’t smell. I settled back into the couch and crossed my arms. 

“So we’re friends now? Cus just twenty minutes ago you didn’t want my help cus you barely knew me.”

I hesitated. “Oh. Um, I’m really sorry about that. To be quite honest, I suck at talking to people. I’m really sorry. Like, really sorry, Dylan.” I was quivering I couldn’t keep my hands still enough to pull down my dress as it rode up. 

“I was just kidding. Sort of. What do you want to do?” He finally turned to me. He had a big nose, but I honestly kinda liked it. His hair was a bit long and it was all curly. He was wearing a black KMFDM shirt. I had no idea what that meant. 

“I don’t know. It’s your house, you choose.” Honestly, I just said that because I didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Call me boy crazy or blame it on the fact that I hadn’t gone to school with boys since fifth grade, but I was kind of developing a liking toward him. I had yet to decide the extent of it, though. 

He stood up and ran up the stairs. I followed him with my eyes until he went out of my sight. Shortly after, he came back down with a radio and a pile of CDs. 

“Okay, I have a couple bands. I don’t know that you’d like any of them.” He passed me the pile and I perused through each one. “Actually, it was a stupid idea. My music taste is kind of shitty. I’ll just find something else.” He reaches back over to take them just as I pulled out a Smashing Pumpkins CD. 

“Hey, you listen to them?” I asked. 

“Yeah. Why, do you like them?”

“Yes, actually.” I cast all the other CDs aside and opened it up. It was Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. 

“Oh. I pictured you as more of a Spice Girls kinda gal.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that an insult?” He laughed a little. 

“No, I just didn’t picture you as someone in the alternative scene.” He delicately took the CD out of my hands and inserted it in his radio. 

The two of us listened to Smashing Pumpkins and sort of just sat there. Every once in a while one of us would comment on how much we liked a specific song. I found myself smiling. A lot. Him, too. 

“So we are friends, huh?” He asked through his grin. 

“Now we are, but I’m not quick to call a person I work with in class my friend,” I replied. 

“Does this mean you’ll sit with me and my friends at lunch?”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. But don’t expect me to make a habit of it.” I tried to turn away from him so he wouldn’t see me smile. 

In my mind, I was terrified for when the song Lily, My One and Only would play. It was a completely irrational thought, but I was worried he’d act weird when it came on. Thankfully, though that’s up for debate, his phone rang and he paused the music to go answer it. 

“Hello?” His voice became deep again. I hadn’t even noticed before, but that seemed to be the voice he used around strangers. “Yeah, she’s right here. Hold on a second.” He handed me the phone. 

“Hi mom.” I blushed as he watched me. 

“Hi Lily, what happened? Why aren’t you home?” She asked. 

“I’ll tell you later.” I shifted my weight. 

“Okay, fine. Who’s the boy answering the phone, huh?”

I blushed even harder. “I’ll tell you later, okay? I’ll see you soon. Bye, mom.” I hung up. 

“Need a ride?” He smiled lopsidedly. I nodded. 

We both piled into his car. I put my bag by my feet and stared out the window more. Dylan turned on the radio and played some rock music that I had never heard before. I gave him my address and we sped off. 

The two of us joked around for the brief car ride until he pulled up to my house. I didn’t want to get out of the car, but I had to. 

“Well, bye. Um, it was nice hanging out with you,” I told him, slinging my bag over my shoulder. He smiled at me blindly and then a look spread across his face. 

“Oh, your bike! Hold on.” He hopped out of his seat and moved it forward. He wrestled the bike from the back, clearly struggling, yet determined to do it by himself. I tried to take it from him but he held up a hand. 

“Where do you keep it?” He asked. 

I took him to the garage and opened the door. “You can just mean it against the wall.” I gestured vaguely and he complied. 

“Okay, I guess this is it. I’ll see you later, Lily.” He held out his arm and I was expecting a handshake, but before I could react he had pulled me into a hug. I was tense but I tried not to show it. The hug lasted around two seconds or something stupid like that but it felt magical. God, I’m stupid. 

“Yeah. You, too,” was all I could say as he walked back to his car and pulled away. He waved to me and I waved back, dumbfounded. 

I liked Dylan Klebold.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at school, it was still fairly hot outside. I wore loose fitting denim shorts with a thick black belt, a long sleeved red tee shirt, and my black Mary Janes. I did the same exact makeup as I do every day. I put my hair in a bun with my red scrunchie and called it a look.

The night before, I had cleaned off my bike. It wasn’t a huge task in the end. I biked to school, staying on the sidewalk. As I was chaining up my bike to the racks, I heard laughs behind me. I recognized the voice as the guy who had spoken to me the day before while I was sitting on the sidewalk and I froze. Thankfully, he was just walking into school and was not looking to spark a conversation. 

When lunch came around, I was really nervous. I did not bring anything to eat and I was not planning on purchasing any food either. I don’t know, I just wasn’t in the mood to eat. I skipped breakfast, too. When I walked in, Dylan immediately caught my eye, smiled, and waved me over. I looked at the floor as I weaved through the tables and sat next to him. 

“Hey. You buying lunch?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “I’m not that hungry. I had a big breakfast.” I played with my hair and watched the tables around me.

“Oh. Well, I already got my food. My friends will probably be here shortly.” He took a bite of the pasta on his tray and I could feel myself getting anxious. A few more people crowded to the table, joking amongst each other and either completely ignoring me or giving me the side eye. Eventually, a boy with brown hair and a slender nose sat down on the other side of Dylan and punched his shoulder to greet him. The two exchanged a few words.

“Hey, Lily, this is Eric,” Dylan told me as he leaned back so I could see Eric. “Eric, this is Lily. She’s gonna be hanging with us for a while.” Eric nodded to me and started eating.

Everyone at the table seemed so tightly knit and exciting. I felt weird sitting with these people. I did not want to be the invasive friend-of-a-friend that wedged their way into the group. As time passed, I thought about it more and more. I was about to tell Dylan I was gonna head out when a group of boys in white hats strutted over. The lead one slammed his hand onto the table to catch everyone’s attention. Many other tables were watching.

Eric stood up and glared at him. “Screw off, Hoffschneider!” he yelled.

The guy laughed. “We’re not here for you, dumbass.” He squared in on Dylan and I. “I’m here for these fuckers.”

Eric furrowed his brow. “What the hell?”

“Yeah, this fat bitch and her gay fuck buddy here thought it would be funny to tell good old DeAngelis about our little encounter yesterday. Not like he’d give a fuck anyways. He doesn’t care about losers.” He raised an eyebrow.

My heart stopped. I looked to Dylan. I could see his chest moving up and down. He refused to look at me. I couldn’t believe he’d actually told the principal. I wasn’t upset, just shocked that he would stand up for me like that. I was also in shock that DeAngelis didn’t plan on doing anything about it. 

Eric stared at Dylan and slowly sat back down. Dylan made angry eye contact with the guy. 

“Got anything to say for yourself, Klebold? Huh? Get your ass up here! And you, you snarky bitch, what the fuck did you tell him? We never touched you, slut!” He hit the table with his fist and I jumped. Dylan stood up.

“She is not a slut, you dickhead!” Dylan shouted.

The boy smirked. “We saw her drive off with you yesterday. Bet you fucked her right then and there. From what I’ve seen, she’s quite the slut!” All the color drained from my face and I could see Dylan’s face turning red with rage. All the boys in the group snickered and half of the cafeteria was watching us.

A few seconds of silence passed before the chaos ensued right in front of me. 

Dylan lunged across the table and swung at the boy. The friends started getting involved. I jumped away from the table and so did a couple of other people. I couldn’t even tell what was happening until Dylan stumbled backward and clutched his face. The boy received a couple of high fives. I rushed to Dylan as they all left the table.

“Jesus, Dylan!” He looked at me, his nose bleeding, his eye throbbing. I put my hand over my mouth. Everybody stared at us. I grabbed both of our bags and led him out of the cafeteria as he tripped behind me.

I barely knew my way around the school but I easily navigated the nurse’s office. She wasn’t busy so I didn’t bother knocking or greeting her. She seemed shocked. She took control and sat him on the cot, cleaning up the blood and bandaging his wounds without asking questions. Of course she already knew what had happened because from what I’d heard as well as witnessed, this was not uncommon for Columbine High.

Later, I had to go to class. The nurse wouldn’t let me stay any more but I made a promise to myself that I would return during my study hall. And I did. 

Dylan was in the special room in the nurse’s office for concussed kids and ailments of the sort. I lightly knocked and he told me I could come in. When I opened the door he was laying down on the cot and facing the wall. There was a plastic chair in the corner that I took a seat in. I didn’t know what to say.

“Are you feeling better?” I asked quietly. He nodded. He still wouldn’t look at me. I exhaled. “Do you want me to leave? I just, I don’t think I’m helping at all by being here and I’d imagine you want some alone time…” I trailed off. He didn’t say anything at first, but then he spoke.

“Please stay.” He trembled. He rolled over in the cot and stared at me. I gasped. The skin around his eye was bruised and the eye itself was red and irritated. His cheek was swollen. He had a bag of ice in his hand.

“God, Dylan. What’d you do that for?” I whispered and put my hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but then settled in. I wanted to cry but I felt so ashamed. He’d gotten punched for me. And I barely even knew him.

“I just got mad is all,” he muttered softly. “They shouldn’t have been saying those things about you.”

I smiled sadly to lighten the mood. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but you hardly know me. Why would you get in a fight just for me?” I asked.

“Oh. Um, I just hate Rocky, I guess. Especially because of what he said to you.” I was somewhat disappointed in that answer. I stared at my feet. “You’re not fat, you know. You’re perfect just the way you are.” I blushed heavily. Dylan thought I was perfect? “And you’re not a slut either. Rocky’s just an asshole. God, I wanna kill him.” I resisted a smile. “Lily, can I, uh, can I ask you something?”

I was about to answer when the door swung open. Eric had come in.

“My turn, get out!” he barked. I rushed out and stared at the floor as he shut the door behind me.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day in English, I sat next to Dylan rather than in the back. He seemed to be in a better mood, but he still sounded sad. I felt like I owed him something for the incident with Rocky. My stomach growled and I got embarrassed. I had skipped breakfast. He did not acknowledge it, though. I appreciated that.

We joked around the whole period, but we weren’t missing much because it was only our second class. He casually mentioned his birthday was coming up. I took note of it so I could surprise him. I still acted very touchy around him. I felt incredible guilt and I was unsure of how to repay him. Then, an idea came to mind. 

“So, you mentioned your birthday is coming up in a few weeks, what do you think you’re gonna do to celebrate?” I asked him.

“I don’t really know. I don’t normally do much. The day of, I just have dinner with my family, my brother visits from college, and not much else. I might have Eric and you over on the Saturday after. You know, if you’d be interested, that is.” I smiled. 

I couldn’t bring it up to him, but I was thinking of maybe throwing him a surprise party. I felt like he was very shy and would not throw a party on his own. Maybe this would make him feel appreciated.

After lunch, I found Eric in the hallway and decided to bring it up to him.

“Hey Eric, can I ask you about something?” He turned to me from his locker and gave a quick nod. “Okay, so I was thinking that I should throw Dylan a surprise party for his birthday in three weeks. What are your thoughts?”

“Go for it. It’d probably make him really happy but he’s not that expressive if you couldn’t tell. I’ll go and I’m sure other folks at the table would, too. Just ask around.” I nodded in response and we parted ways.

Later, in theatre tech, I sat with Dylan again. The teacher did not have much of a plan for class. About half of the groups from the first day hadn’t finished their projects, so everyone who already had was free to use the time to study. Dylan and I just goofed around. As she eyed the room, the teacher’s gaze set on us. She slowly approached us at the back of the auditorium. I was terrified she would yell at us and tell us to get back on task.

“Lily, Dylan, would you two mind going down to the supply closet and getting the box of spotlight batteries? It seems to be acting up and flickering.” 

“Sure.” Dylan hopped up and looked at me, waiting for me to follow. I didn’t know where this closet was so I let him lead me down the hall.

We made a couple turns before reaching a tiny wooden door without a window on it like most classroom doors had. There was a label beside it indicating it should not be used by students without teacher instruction. Dylan opened the door, noticing it seemed pretty have. 

“Okay, they should be on one of the shelves in there. I’ll stay out here and hold the door,” he said.

Stepping into the closet, it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I examined the shelves on the back wall, looking for the box. I spotted it on the top shelf and groaned. I was only 5’2. I looked around and there was no step stool to be found. I tried jumping to get the box but i could barely reach the shelf itself.

“Dylan, I can’t reach it!” I called. 

“Okay, hold on,” he replied as he walked in slowly, trying not to let go of the door. I pointed to the box and he held the door open with his foot. Even though the closet was small, he couldn’t quite get to the box and hold the door at the same time. 

“Let me try to get to the door,” I said. I couldn’t get past him in our current position. I had a face full of his red tee shirt. 

“No, no, I got it,” he grunted. He stretched a little more and finally grabbed the box. He whisked it down, in the process, moving his leg. We both jumped when the door slammed shut and the room went dark. “Ah, fuck!” he yelled. He felt around for a lightswitch and finally pulled on one. The soft click illuminated us.

“Well, now what?” I muttered. He tossed the box onto a shelf and sighed. He knocked loudly on the door, each time making me cringe a little harder. He waited a few seconds and nothing happened. He jiggled the doorknob around with no prevail. When he turned back toward me, our chests brushed together. I felt my face getting heated due to the close quarters I was in with Dylan, but I’m sure he couldn’t tell because it was still fairly dark. 

“Any ideas?” he asked me, defeatedly. I thought briefly.

“Do you have a phone on you? Mine’s in my bag.” 

He looked relieved. “Yeah, I do. I’ll call Eric and ask him to let us out. I think he has a study now, anyways.” He pulled out his bulky phone and started pressing buttons. The ringing effect played and he held it up to his ear while looking at me. After a while, Eric picked up. “Hey, Reb. You know the old supply closet by the auditorium? Yes. Of course I am. Lily’s in here, too. Shut up!” He stopped looking at me as he yelled that. I heard Eric laughing over the phone. “Can you come let us out? Finally! Bye.” He hung up and rolled his eyes, stuffing the phone into his back pocket.

I giggled a little. Of course this would only happen to me and of course the person I was stuck with was my crush. Did I just admit that? I guess I did.

“While we’re here, and before I forget, I was thinking that for, you know, future reference and such, it’d be pretty helpful if I had, um, your number?” he asked. I smiled.

“Oh definitely. You know, for reference,” I laughed. I looked around the closet and plucked a pen from one of the boxes, uncapping it and grabbing his right hand with my left. It was pretty sweaty but mine was too. I scribbled my number onto it and added my name with a smiley face. I capped the pen and tossed it back, without letting go of his hand. It felt a bit weird, but I did not want to let go until I absolutely had to, which ended up being shortly afterwards as Eric swung the door open. 

“Get out now cus I ain’t waiting around,” he said. Dylan let go of my hand, something Eric clearly noticed, and grabbed the door, holding it for me on my way out.

“Thanks, Reb.”

“Okay, if that’s all you need, I’m out.” He turned on his heel and marched back down the hallway, leaving Dylan and me alone to brew in our own awkwardness.

That night, it was a Friday. It was only eight pm and I had already showered and I was ready to read for a few hours when my phone rang from my nightstand. I picked it up and looked at the ID: unknown number. I answered cautiously.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lily?” I recognized his voice instantly and started smiling uncontrollably. 

“Yes. Is this, let me guess, Dylan?” I joked.

He laughed softly. “Thank god you didn’t give me a fake number.”

“Now why would I do that?” I moved over to sit on my bed and played with my hair.

“Well, I’m a huge dork and you’re way cooler than me, so I wouldn’t have been surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised.” I giggled at his joke.

“Lucky for you, I happen to think, if anything, that you are too cool for me. I mean, what dork would get into a fight for me? That was pretty badass.”

We talked on the phone for a while. I couldn’t stop smiling when I thought about him. His sparkling blue eyes. His adorable smile. His tall and gawky stature that I could stare at for hours. He was incredible. I really hoped he thought similar of me.

“Well, I think I should go. I might call you tomorrow, that is, if you’re willing to waste another hour on me.” I was sad he had to leave but happy that he wanted to talk again.

“Yes. Definitely.”

“Oh, by the way, would you want to h-hang out sometime? I have work tomorrow but I’m free Sunday,” he asked shakily.

My smile grew even wider. “I would love to. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Bye, Lily.” 

Neither of us hung up for a few seconds. It got too awkward for me so I ended the call. I covered my face with my hands because I was so happy. I picked my phone back up and added him as a contact.


	5. Chapter 5

tw- self harm

Sunday came and I couldn’t control my happiness. The night before, we’d discussed the plan. I was just going to his house to play video games. I had never played a video game in my life but I agreed nonetheless. The weather was getting colder so I put on a chunky black knit sweater and some straight leg jeans. I put on my normal makeup and looked in my full length mirror. 

Something looked wrong with me. My thighs were too wide. My stomach jutted out and you could tell even with my jeans. My boobs were D cups but it did not look good on me because of how chubby I was. I sighed. My face looked weird, too. My lips were thin and my eyebrows were too low on my face. I had been skipping meals lately but there was no difference. I guess I had to keep going. Dylan probably thought I was ugly, too.

It was almost time for me to leave. I decided to do something I hadn’t done in a while. In my bathroom, hidden under the sink, I pulled out an empty altoid box. Inside, I had my razors. I held my arm over the sink, rolled up my sleeve, and pressed the blade against my skin a few times. It stung, but only for a second before the blood started to drip. I nonchalantly ran my wrist under the faucet, staring at the pink water as it fell down the drain. I collected myself along with my phone and my wallet before heading back to my room and sitting on my bed, my heart pounding with anxiety.

Moments later, the doorbell rang. I sprinted downstairs to the door but my mom beat me to it, swinging it open and greeting Dylan. 

When I gingerly entered the room, my mom was sitting on the arm of a chair and Dylan was awkwardly standing toward the entry. As I entered, his eyes flicked to me and My mom stood up and brushed off her thighs. 

“You two have fun! Be safe!” she called. I silently cursed her for it as I followed Dylan out to his car.

Things didn’t stay awkward as the two of us joked around and listened to whatever he was playing on the radio. A lot of it wasn’t much of my style, but I was fine with it when I was around him. By myself, I always concentrated on the notes, the words, the keys, everything. When I was with Dylan, everything seemed to fade except for him. 

We pulled up to his house that I was somewhat familiar with. There were no other cars in the garage or the driveway, meaning we were alone. He led me inside and we sat on his couch again. 

“Wanna watch a movie?” he asked me. 

“Sure, what do you have?” He sprung up and flipped through a stack, pulling one out. 

“How about Jurassic Park?” he offered. 

“Alright,” I picked at my fingernails as I watched him kneeling down to put the VHS tape into his TV. He pressed a few buttons to make the movie play before he came back and sat next to me, closer than he sat the first time we hung out. 

Several hours passed. The two of us watched Jurassic Park, then the newer movie in the series. The whole time, I found myself admiring him through my peripheral vision. He was wearing a plain grey boxy tee shirt that hung off of his shoulders. After the movie ended, it was dark out. My stomach had been growling for the last twenty minutes, much to my embarrassment. 

“Okay, do you want to get some food? We can have something delivered, or go out, whatever you want.” He adjusted his seating and looked at me. I was nervous about eating in front of him for whatever stupid reason, but I went along with it anyways. 

“Whatever you want is fine,” I replied. He nodded. 

“We could always just go to McDonald’s or something,” he suggested. 

“Sure, why not?”

The two of us piled into his car and drove down to McDonald’s. Dylan played Gish in the car and I stared out the window, my heart beating like crazy.

We pulled up to McDonald’s and Dylan parked his car. The two of us went inside and walked up to the counter. Dylan let me order first.

“Hi can I get a chicken sandwich and a bottle of water?” The cashier pressed a few buttons and looked back up to me. I fished threw my pockets to get my money but Dylan pushed my aside.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay,” he said. He started speaking to the cashier before I could protest.

Later, the two of us were sitting in a booth. Dylan had ordered a quarter pounder meal and was drinking soda. I was quietly eating my chicken sandwich, trying not to chew too loud, knowing I’d regret the high calorie meal later.

“So what are your plans for your birthday?” I asked him shyly. He swallowed his food and looked up at me.

“I’m probably just gonna get dinner with my parents and not much else.”

“Okay, well what do you want for your birthday?” I put down my sandwich and propped my elbows up onto the table, resting my chin in my hand.

He blushed. “Oh, I don’t know. People don’t get me gifts really, outside of my family that is. And even then, it’s usually just money or something,” he replied. I nodded.

I was making a list of possible gifts in my head. I was determined to make this the best birthday of his life. I decided to give him his gift on his actual birthday and just have everyone else gift him at the party. Speaking of the party, I’d gotten a few of the people from the lunch table to come. Eric was definitely coming and he said he’d pick up the pizzas. Everything was working out well.

Dylan and I finished eating. We threw our stuff away and got into the car. He was going to drive me home.

I watched him as he drove. He was a really good driver. He was watching the road so intently. 

“Hey, thanks for paying for my food. It means a lot,” I told him softly.

“No problem.”

I wanted him to say more but he never did.

Finally, we arrived back at my house. I didn’t want the night to end, but my mother was waiting for me. I was ready to leap out of the car when Dylan opened his door and came over to hold mine open. I blushed and got out, making eye contact with him. He walked me to my door.

“Bye, Dylan,” I said, turning to him.

I barely had time to react before he engulfed me in another hug. I was comically shorter than him, so all I could see at that point was his black tee shirt. I didn’t mind. I hugged him back. We stayed there for a few seconds, probably too long if you ask me. He pulled away at last, even though I wished he hadn’t.

“Bye, Lily. See you around.” He gave me a wave and walked back down to his car. I watched him start it up but he didn’t leave. He was waiting for me to go inside. It took me some time to process before I opened up the front door and stepped in, watching him pull away from the window.


	6. Chapter 6

Time flew by with Dylan by my side. Before I knew it, it was his birthday.

I saw him at lunch, already sitting at the table and eating. I ran up to him and threw my arms at him, taking him by surprise.

“Happy birthday, Dylan!” He was tense in my arms, but once he realized it was just me, he loosened up and turned to face me.

“You remembered,” he commented, a combination of impressed and shocked.

“Of course I did. Here, I got you something.” I handed him the tiny gift bag I’d prepared the night before completed with colorful tissue paper and everything. His face was red as he took it.

He dug through the bag carefully, his eyes widening when he pulled out his gift. His face instantly lit up.

“You got me the new Rammstein CD?” he asked surprisedly. I nodded, smiling. He gave me a side hug and I leaned into him.

“You’re coming to my house Saturday, right?” I asked him. I had invited him over to hang out, but he did not know it was actually for his surprise party.

His cheeks turned pink. “Uh, yeah, definitely,” he replied. I could not stop grinning.

More people piled around the table, wishing him a happy birthday. However, he only hugged me when I said it and no one else. Later, we all sang happy birthday and Dylan had never looked redder. I smiled for the whole lunch block and he did too. 

As much as I wanted to celebrate with Dylan on his actual birthday, it was a school night and he was going out with his family for dinner. I caught him walking to his car on my way out. 

“Dylan!” I called out. “Wait up!” He spun around and his eyes landed on me as I jogged to meet him. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he answered, studying my face. 

“Happy freakin’ birthday, dude.”

He laughed quietly. “Thanks, dude.”

I smiled more. “I don’t want to keep you waiting.” I held up my hands. 

“Don’t worry about it. Hey, what time should I come over Saturday?” 

“Six,” I answered as I backed away. 

He nodded. “Great. See you tomorrow, Lily.”

“Bye, birthday boy!” I yelled back as I strolled to my bike and unchained it. 

The next day at school, I saw Dylan in English class and I slid into the seat next to him. 

“How’d the big day go?” I asked. He turned to me. 

“It went well. My brother couldn’t get out of work, but it was fine. My parents had Eric and Nate come, too. I would’ve invited you but I didn’t know they’d be there, sorry.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Do your parents even know I exist?” I giggled. 

“Yeah, they just blanked, I guess. I’m really sorry, though. It would have been fun with you there.” He looked down at his paper and sat on his hands. 

“Stop it, it’s fine Dylan.” He nodded, accepting my apathy. 

“I’ll make sure they invite you next time.”

“Good. I’ll make sure I show up next time, then.”

The teacher began to speak to us and so Dylan and I quieted down. 

After class, we walked out together and he stayed with me until we reached my locker. 

“Hey, I’m really excited for tomorrow. Hanging out with you is always fun,” he said to me.

I couldn’t help but blush. “Yeah, me too.” He smiled at me and left.

I had barely over 24 hours to get his surprise party together.

I biked home. I had been at my mom’s house for a while but pretty soon, I was gonna visit my dad and his wife. I didn’t mind- she treated me just like her own kid. However, my mom was pretty angry about her a lot. She was anticipating the transition. She seemed to be furious whenever I was at my dad’s.

“Mom, I’m home!” I called. She was watching Friends and reading a romance novel. Gross.

“Hey, sweetheart. How was school?” she asked.

“Fine,” I replied as I threw my bag to the ground and slipped off my shoes. “Are there any snacks here?”

“I don’t know, we maybe have some snap pea crisps.”

I groaned. “Mom, I’m having a party tomorrow! I need chips and pretzels and candy, not juice cleanse mom snacks!”

“Alright, I’ll take you to the store in the morning.”

“But I’m also hungry now,” I leaned against the wall.

“Too bad, eat your snap peas.”

“Mom!”

“Fine!” she laughed. “I’ll bake something. Otherwise, you have to wait until dinner.” She put her open book down on the coffee table and walked over to me. “It wouldn’t kill you to cook for yourself, you know.” I rolled my eyes.

“Thanks mom!” I ran up the stairs and into my room.

My bedroom was a bit of a mess, but I was not concerned. No one at the party would be going upstairs anyway, and if they did, I’d kill them. My room had white walls and my bed sheets were red. I had a few pictures taped up and a single poster for Stone Temple Pilots. A lot of my clothes were tossed around the floor and my stationary and makeup was scattered on my desk and dresser. Oh well, I’d clean it eventually. 

I walked over to my desk and moved things around until I pulled out the paper I’d been drawing on. I was making Dylan a card for his party. I was almost done drawing the album cover for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. I thought it’d be cute and personal. I was gonna add a message on the back but I hadn’t decided what it would say yet. 

During my drawing session, my phone began to ring. I picked it up and it was Brenna. 

“Hey! How’s it going?” I asked. 

“Hi! Things are fine, I just bombed a test in history, though,” she answered. 

“Really? I’m pretty sure I just bombed my biology test. Oh, well. What are you up to?”

“Just got home. Not much is happening with me though. I wanna hear about you, we haven’t talked since the second week of school!”

I laughed. “Well, tomorrow night I’m throwing a surprise party for my friend.”

“Am I invited?”

“If you really want, but he’s kinda shy so I only invited his good friends.” I set down my pencil and looked at my nails. 

“He?!” she shouted. “Is this that guy you mentioned last time?”

“Yeah, Dylan. After the, uh, incident, I wanted to do something special for him. He’s a bit of an outcast at school and he’s been really nice to me.”

“Okay, tell me more!” I could hear her pacing around her room over the phone. 

“I don’t know what else to say. He’s really tall, like way taller than me, he’s blond, he likes the same music as I do for the most part, I don’t know. He’s really cool.”

“Do you like him?” I hesitated. 

“Maybe.”

“Oh my god, you totally do.”

“Fine. Yes. But you tell me you wouldn’t develop a crush on a guy who got punched for you!”

“Do you think he likes you?”

“Maybe? I can’t really tell, but I’m making him a card for the party tomorrow, and I’m thinking of maybe hinting at it? I don’t know, you’re way better at this stuff than I am.”

“Do it. Do it. Do it!” she screamed, hurting the ear I’d put the phone up to. “I wanna meet him. Preferably before you two start screwing, but-”

“Shut up!” I yelled. 

“Let me meet him!”

“Okay, maybe at some point. But not just the three of us. I’ll tell him to bring his friend or something.”

“Good. Who is this friend? Is he cute?”

“His name is Eric and I don’t know, that’s subjective.”

She groaned. “I don’t think I can talk for much longer, but email me what you end up writing! I wanna hear it!”

“Okay, I will.”

“Bye, miss you!”

“Bye, miss you too!”

Brenna hung up and I continued to draw until my mom called me downstairs. I realized it was getting sort of late, it was almost six pm. I’d been drawing for a while and I was almost done. 

My mom had made a casserole and was already scooping some onto my plate. I sat down and watched as she passed it to me. 

“Bet your stepmom can’t cook for you like this,” she muttered. I didn’t bother reminding her that Jan was actually a professional chef. 

We ate in silence. I was mostly just eager to start writing my note to Dylan. After I finished I brought my plate to the kitchen. 

“Goodnight, Mom!” I called as I sprinted back up the stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

Dylan’s surprise party was almost ready. Most of his friends were at my house, Eric was almost here with the pizza, and I had successfully set up the banner all by myself. The music was off for now and everyone was staying away from the windows just in case. I made everybody park down the block.

I heard a knock at the back door and knew it was Eric. I slithered around the group of people to let him in. He was carrying five pizza boxes. I took them out of his hands and set them on the table with the drinks and paper plates. 

“When’s Dylan coming over?” Eric asked me, glancing at the clock.

“Any minute now, I told him to come over at six,” I answered. “I’m gonna turn off the lights and have everyone hide.”

“Ok, mind if I grab a drink first?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Go ahead,” I told him. I clapped once, thankful for such a small guest list because everybody instantly looked to me. “Okay guys, He’s gonna get here soon, so get in your places!” I announced. People began to duck behind chairs and under the tables as I shut off the lights and the radio. I stepped around the people behind the couch. “I’m gonna wait outside for him, I’ll knock on the door once when we’re coming in!” With that, I went to my front yard and sat on the steps, my heart racing.

Within five minutes, Dylan’s car pulled into my driveway. My mom agreed to staying with a friend for the night, so he was the only one parked there. He hopped out and waved at me. I stood up and brushed my thighs off.

“Hey, Lily!” he called, jogging over to me. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” I asked, too anxious to bring him inside just yet. 

“Good, now that I’m here with you.” He smiled. 

“Ha, let’s go inside.” I grabbed his arm and led him behind me up to the door. Before opening it, I hit it with my foot, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Oops,” I muttered to keep it authentic. 

We went inside.

“Why’s it so dark in here?” he joked. I led him into the living room where everyone was waiting.

“Here, I’ll turn on some lights.” Dylan was facing the couch when I switched them all on. I was acutely aware of everybody’s breathing in the milliseconds before they all jumped out.

“Surprise!” everybody yelled, including me. Dylan jumped a little and threw his hands over his mouth, his eyes darting across the room to take it all in. 

“You did this for me?” he whispered, his eyes lighting up like a fire.

“Of course, now go enjoy your party!”

For the next few hours, Dylan let all his anxiety go and seemed to just have fun with all his friends. People were drinking beer, but I made sure to stay away from it. I noticed Dylan did, too. Later on in the party, a group of people gathered in front of the couch on the floor to play truth or dare. Dylan was there and I decided to join.

A few shitty dares went around. Nate Dykeman had to chug a beer can, which he then threw back up onto a paper plate with Robyn’s pizza crust on it. Nate decided to sit out after that.

Eric called on Dylan. “Truth or dare, V?”

“Truth, I guess,” he replied nervously.

Eric smirked. “Okay, hmmm… who’s the hottest person here?” he asked.

I saw Dylan’s eyes flicker to me, but maybe I was just imagining it. “Oh, uh, definitely Brooks!” he laughed, followed by most of the group. Brooks laughed the hardest.

“Watch it Klebold, I’m a huge player!” Brooks replied.

As funny as Dylan’s joke was to the others, I wished he had said me. Oh well. I didn’t really think it was that funny anyways. 

Dylan pulled the Rammstein CD I’d bought him out of his pocket. “Hey, can I pop this in?” he asked me.

“Go ahead. It’s your party.” I nodded toward the CD player. He strolled over and put the CD in and pressed play.

Everybody started dancing, including Dylan, but he looked really awkward. I was standing off to the side, laughing at Dylan’s dance moves. I was perfectly fine with being a wall hugger, but then Dylan grabbed my hand and pulled me to him.

“Come on, dance!” I started tensely moving my body, but when Dylan joined me, I loosened up. We danced for the entire duration of the CD and then went back to just partying.

The next thing I knew, it was two am. People were crashing. A few of them had become designated drivers, so I wasn’t worried about their safety. One by one, people began leaving, receiving a thorough thanking from both me and Dylan. 

Soon enough, we were the only two left. 

“Hey, I’ll help you clean some of this trash up. It’s the least I can do,” Dylan offered. I smiled, knowing I’d finally get to spend some time alone with him.

We were both completely sober. I passed him a trash bag and we began to pick up cups and bottles. Most of it was cleaned up after about thirty minutes.

“Okay, you’ve done enough. You can go home now,” I told him. At that moment, I remembered my card. “Oh wait, I have something for you first.” I rushed over to my bathroom and pulled the card out of the medicine cabinet. I walked back over, holding it behind my back. 

“Strange hiding place,” Dylan commented. 

I held the card out for him and he picked it up from my hand. I watched him carefully open the envelope and pull it out. 

“Wow, this is good art,” he mumbled, taking in the album cover I’d drawn. 

“Go on, open it.”

I bit my lip as he unfolded the card and I watched his face as he read it. His forehead wrinkling ever so slightly, moving his lips a little bit, and my heart was gunning. 

Dear Dylan,  
Happy birthday. I’ve been planning this party ever since you told me your birthday was coming up. I have no idea why you defended me like that. Most people I know would just stand by and spread rumors the next day. I’m so grateful for you and everything you’ve done for me. You’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. I’m so glad we’ve gotten close. Thank you for being there when I’ve needed it. I really appreciate it. You’re an amazing guy and you deserve the best. I hope you enjoyed your party.   
-lily :)

Dylan was holding back a smile when looked back up at me. He set the card down on the table and pulled me in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around his torso and squeezed him. When we let go of each other, he held onto my shoulders and connected his blue eyes with mine. 

“This was a great night, Lily,” he said quietly. 

“Good, I wanted to show you how much you mean to me.” I tried looking anywhere but his eyes but it was impossible. Surprisingly, he hugged me again. My head was sideways with my ear pressed to his chest. His heart was beating really fast, too. Time stopped and we just stayed like that for a while. 

“Hey,” I could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke, “Lily?”

“Yeah?” I answered, sounding muffled to myself. He paused which only made me more nervous. 

“Can I kiss you?” He pulled away and looked at me. My heart skipped a fucking beat. 

“Yes,” I said, immediately regretting the awkwardness in my tone. 

And so he did. It was brief, but magical. I was completely shocked. We were still standing about a foot apart, quite awkwardly. When he pulled away, my eyes were wide. He was blushing very intensely. 

“Uh, am I really bad at reading emotions or was the feeling mutual?”

I grabbed his hand and intertwined my fingers with his. His hand was really sweaty. He was staring at me nervously. 

“Of course, it was,” I answered, punching him in the shoulder. I looked him in the eyes again, and then we both leaned in. This time, we kissed for a little bit longer, and when he pulled away, he was smiling. 

I giggled. “What? Why are you so happy?” I joked. 

“God, Lily, I’ve wanted to do that ever since I met you!” He picked me up and spun around before setting me back down. He grabbed my hands again. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. You make me feel like no one else. When I saw you in English, I thought you were incredible, but I had no idea how to talk to you. Then, in theatre tech, I got the opportunity and it was the best decision of my life. When I heard those fucking assholes talking about you like that, I had to step in. I’m so glad I did, you’re amazing. You’re so fucking amazing, Lily.” He kissed me on both cheeks, then on my forehead, then my nose, and finally on my lips. I couldn’t stop smiling and I tried to hide my face in my hands, but he would not let me. “Will you go out with me?”

“Yes!” I laughed. His smile grew wider if possible and he wrapped his arms around my waist, hoisting me up to kiss him again. 

“You’re too short to kiss,” he commented laughing. I rolled my eyes and broke free from his tight grasp. 

“Come on Dylan, lets watch a movie.” I grabbed his hand, dragging him over to the couch and throwing him down on it. I walked over to my pile of tapes and pulled out a random comedy and slid it into the player. I wasn’t going to pay attention to it anyways. I sat next to him with my legs tossed over his lap. I laid my head on his shoulder and he put his head on top of mine. 

The movie played hazily in the background as my eyes fluttered open and closed. Dylan was playing with my hair. 

“Your hair is so pretty,” he mumbled. I kissed his shoulder. 

“Goodnight, Dylan.” I readjusted so was sitting in his lap and laying down with my head on the pillow at the end of the couch. I shut my eyes and sleep came easily as the movie played in the background and I felt Dylan’s chest rising and falling.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up to Dylan laying down behind me with his arm around my waist. Memories of the night before came flooding back and I could feel myself getting happier. I twisted around so I was facing him. 

He was still asleep. His breathing was even and he was drooling a little bit. I put my head on his chest and shut my eyes, breathing him in. I guess we were dating now. I looked back up to see his face and touched his stubble with the back of my hand. It was barely anything but it still pricked me. He woke up a little bit and looked at me. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, his face puffy and round from sleeping. 

“Admiring you,” I whispered. I snuggled back up with my head on his neck and he tightened his grip around me. 

“It’s nine am, do you think my parents are worried about me?” he asked. 

I sighed. “Probably. You should call them. Or just go home, if you want.”

“I don’t want to go home, though. Hold on, I’ll call them quickly. I’ll just say I’m with Eric I guess.” He let go of me and stood up. I watched him intently as he dug through his jacket to find his phone. 

He called his parents and kept the conversation brief. From what I could tell, they weren’t very concerned. He eventually hung up and walked back over to me. I sat up and he slung his arm around me. I noticed the tv was still on and it had returned to the title screen of the movie. I didn’t really care. 

We sat in comfortable silence for a while before I spoke up. 

“You’re my first kiss, you know.”

He grinned. “You’re mine, too.”

Dylan and I spent the late morning making food and just talking. We were past all of the “you’re incredible” stuff and just discussed our lives in general. I told him about Brenna and he told me about Eric and Nate and Brooks. I was sitting at the table as he was cooking something. He wouldn’t tell me what it was.

“You gotta wait. I want it to be a surprise!” he called as I pestered him. 

“Can you hurry up, then?” I smirked. 

“Just a moment!”

A few minutes later, he stumbled in carrying two plates. The one he passed me had an omelette cut into a sloppy heart. I hid my face in my hands. I could hear Dylan setting his own plate on the other end of the table. Eventually, I started eating, wildly embarrassed but in a good way. 

“This is good, Dyl,” I said. He smiled to his plate. 

“Good, I worked hard on it. I had no idea cutting eggs was so hard!” He shoved a forkful of the food into his mouth and I did the same. 

Once we finished eating, we talked some more. I learned a lot more about him and it was fascinating. He loved baseball and music and video games and computers. He also had asked me to dinner at the end of the upcoming week. 

It was almost eleven when we came to the collective decision that Dylan should finally go home. He had work at two pm and I didn’t want to keep him around all day. Well, I wanted to, but I wasn’t going to. 

“Bye, Lily,” he mumbled at the door. I pushed forward and hugged him. He wrapped one of his arms around me and used the other one to hold my head. 

I looked up at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said. He pecked my lips. 

“See you tomorrow.”

Dylan left and I watched out the window as he pulled away. I couldn’t believe everything that had happened. 

The first thing I did was call Brenna. She screamed. I talked to her for a while until I had to start packing for my dad’s house. Whenever I visited my dad, it was for way less time than my mom. I didn’t have many things at their house so whenever I visited I had to pack things up. I didn’t bring much other than some clothes and my notebook and school things. 

Around three pm, my mom got home. I was sitting on the couch next to my duffel bag of things. She looked at me silently but once she saw the bag she remembered. 

“Give me a minute sweetie,” she sighed. I nodded and hiked the bag up onto my shoulder. I sat in the passenger seat of her car, drumming my fingers against my leg. 

The drive to my dad’s was short but it felt like it lasted a long time. He lived in the suburbs of Englewood. He and Jan had a red bungalow that was smaller than my mom’s house but had more bedrooms. My mom got the house in the divorce a few years back. 

She pulled into the driveway and I saw her looking around at their house. I pulled my bag up from by my feet and looked at her. 

“Bye, mom.”

She snapped out of it and turned back to me. “Oh. Bye, baby.” She pulled my head to hers and hugged me. 

I got out of the car and knocked on their front door. My mom waited until Jan opened the door and hugged me, waving to her. She didn’t wave back. 

“Hey, dad,” I said as I saw him sitting at the table doing his work. He got up and came over to hug me. 

“Hey, princess.” He kisses the top of my head. “How’s school going? Keeping up the good grades?”

“Yeah.” That was partially a lie, I was doing well overall but I had just gotten a 72 on a test. 

“Good. I’ll let you get settled in. We might be going out for dinner tonight, by the way.”

“Okay, thanks, Dad,” I replied as I walked over to my room and closed the door. 

Back at my mom’s place, I had a queen sized bed, but here, I had a twin. I didn’t mind, it was just that I had gotten so used to sprawling out at night. I put my bag on top of the dresser and sat on the bed, looking around. There was a picture of the three of us propped up on the nightstand. Jan must have added that. I made a note to myself to get a picture of or with Dylan to put up. 

Around five, my dad drove us out to dinner. I ordered pasta but I didn’t eat much of it. I wasn’t that hungry, anyway. 

When we got back home, I saw Dylan had tried to call me a few minutes ago. I sat on my bed and called him back. It rang a few times before he picked up. 

“Hey, Lily.” His voice was smooth and gave me butterflies.

“Hey! You called?”

“Oh, yeah. Just wanted to talk, I got off work an hour ago.”

“Okay. What’s up?”

“I was just thinking about you. Like, all day.”

“Oh, really? And why would you do that?”

“Shut up.” I laughed. 

“I’m at my dad’s house, now.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. Where does your dad live?”

“Englewood. It’s not a huge drive but I can’t bike to school anymore.”

“Well I could always pick you up.”

“My dad normally drives me but maybe.”

“Come on, it’d be fun. Carpool party.”

“Maybe. I’ll ask.”

“Good.”

“How are things with you?”

“Fine. I was just on the phone with Eric planning things.”

“Planning what?”

He paused. “Just thinking about the senior prank. Eric’s really excited.”

“That’s a way’s away but fun.”

We talked for almost an hour before he had to hang up. It was nine at night and I still had to take a shower so it was probably for the best. I gave him my address so he could come to get me in the morning. My dad would probably appreciate it. 

I took a shower and laid out my clothing for the next day. It was still warm outside but gradually getting cooler. I fell asleep and dreamt of Dylan, still amazed by how it had only been 24 hours.


	9. Chapter 9

For the school the next day, I wore some blue jeans with a red flannel over a black tee shirt and some black sneakers. I did my normal makeup with a bit of smudged eyeliner on my lids just cause I was feeling it. I didn’t do anything with my hair other than brush it. 

Downstairs, I made myself some oatmeal. I sucked at cooking so it was kinda cold. The air outside was frigid but I knew it would only get warmer so I didn’t bring a coat. I sat on the front steps with my bag waiting for Dylan. It was much warmer inside, but then he’d have to knock and I didn’t want to wake up my dad and Jan.

Dylan came earlier than I expected. I hopped into the passenger seat. 

“Hey.” I kept my backpack on my lap and looked at him. He looked pretty upbeat for such an early morning drive.

“Hey. I got you a coffee.” He gestured to the cup holder. I was pleasantly surprised.

“Thanks, Dyl.” I picked it up and held it in my hands to warm them up. 

We drove to the school for almost twenty minutes. It was a long drive and I was surprised Dylan was willing to do it. A lot of people were already walking into school. I yawned, as I had to get up extra early. 

I walked into school with Dylan. I was too nervous to try to hold his hand and apparently he was too. Dylan stayed with my until we reached my classroom.

“Bye, I can drive you home, too if you want,” he said.

“Okay, that’d be great. Bye.” He smiled to me and left.

The school day flew by because I spent the whole time thinking about him. I was daydreaming of the night he spent on my couch. All I wanted was to see him again. Before I knew it, the day was over and I waiting for Dylan by his car with a giddy smile. 

“Hey,” Dylan said. 

“Hey,” I answered, rocking back and forth from my heels to the balls of my feet. He unlocked his car and let me in. We backed out of the parking lot and I looked out the window, getting deja vu from the first time we ever hung out.

“Do you want to come over?”

“I would love to come over.” I smiled to myself, turning away so he wouldn’t see it. God, why was I such an idiot around him?

We pulled up through his driveway after a pleasant drive. I got out of the car too quickly for him to open the door for me. He walked in front of me as we went inside. 

“What would you like to do?” He enunciated, turning to me. 

“I’ll be happy doing whatever you want,” I told him. 

“Okay, well I want to show you my room.” I followed him up the stairs and down the halls. He stopped outside of his door to make sure I was still behind him. 

At first, things were kind of awkward. I was just taking his room in and neither of us spoke. He had a twin bed, a stereo, a chair by the door, a desk, and some posters. It was sort of tiny but livable. 

“It’s kind of small but I’m getting my brother’s room when he moves out,” Dylan mumbled. I nodded. 

“My room’s around this size at my dad’s house. I’ll be sure to have you over before I go back to my mom’s.” I walked over and sat on his bed and he joined me. 

“How was your day?” I looked at him and he was staring at me intently. 

“It was fine. I had a math test. How was yours?”

“It was fine, but it got better.” I was really nervous at this point. We hadn’t really discussed the fact that we were sort of dating. I had only told Brenna and I wasn’t sure if he’d said anything to anyone. Maybe Eric. To avoid eye contact, I looked around his room more. He had a computer and a pile of CDs on his desk. I walked over, grabbed the pile, and sat back down. The Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness CD was on top, which made me smile. I looked through the rest of them. 

“Hey, I like the Chemical Brothers,” I commented to kill the quietness of the room. “Them, too,” I said, holding up a Pretty Hate Machine CD. 

“Want me to play one?” he asked. 

“Actually, I’d rather just talk,” I decided. Every time I spoke, I ended up over analyzing myself. Did that sound weird? Was it too forward?

He did a quick inhale-chuckle hybrid. “Okay. What was private school like?”

I straightened myself out. “Well, kind of mediocre. A lot of the people there are super rich.” I thought for a second. “You’d see a lot of houses like this. It was an all girls school, like I’ve said, so I barely spoke to boys. It was somewhat cliquish so rather than a ton of friends I really just had a ton of acquaintances. Except for my friend Brenna. I’ve told you about her before. She wants to meet you.” I regretted adding the last part. 

“Nice. Maybe we can set her up with Eric or something. Have a double date.” My heart fluttered when he said double date. 

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“Great minds think alike.” Dylan leaned back so his back was to the wall. I did the same. He put his arm around me and my heart started gunning. “Where do you want to go on Friday?”

“It’s up to you.” I was very conscious of my movements, feeling as if a single twitch would make him move away. 

“We can get seafood. We can get, I don’t know, Thai food. I can ask my mom to cook and we just stay here.”

“Is your mom a good cook?” I asked, tilting my head to see him. 

“She’s pretty good. Isn’t your stepmom a professional chef though?”

“Yeah.” I smiled. He’d remembered that. 

“You’ll probably think it’s trash, then.”

“No I won’t. I spend a week with my dad every other month and even then she barely cooked for us. I don’t blame her though, that’s all she does for eight hours a day.”

“Good. I want to stay here with you. I don’t like going out much, anyways.” I had to psych myself up a lot but when I finally did, I kissed him on the cheek. He snapped to face me, blushing like crazy. “What was that for?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I laughed, resting my head on his shoulder. He put his head on top of mine and we both stared at the wall, silent, yet content. 

“You know, it was pretty hard making a move on you, but it was the smartest thing I’ve ever done.” I felt his jaw contracting on my head as he spoke. 

“Good. I’m glad you did, too.” 

“So we’re dating now, huh?”

“I guess so.”

“So, can I kiss you again?” He lifted his head to look at me and playfully smiled. 

“Yes.” He grabbed my chin and tilted it towards him. I rotated so I was facing him and kissed him. It was quick and gentle. When I pulled away, he was still holding my face and looking into my eyes. 

“You’re so cute, Lily.”

I smiled and kissed him again, this time settling into his chest after pulling away. “Should I still wear my finest dress on Friday?” I joked.

“Duh.” He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back. “Gotta have my girlfriend looking cute at all times.”

I looked up at him. “So I’m your girlfriend?” I smirked.

“Only if you want to be.” 

“I think I already agreed to that.” I took his hand off his leg and wrapped my fingers around it.

“I know. Just checking.” 

“And I don’t see that changing any time soon.” I put my head back on Dylan’s chest. I could hear his heartbeat and it was really fast. That was reassuring, knowing he was almost as freaked out as me. His cat started scratching on his door and he groaned, leaving my side to let her in. His absence was cold and I quickly snuggled back into him when he returned. 

This was bliss, and hopefully it would stay that way. Hopefully, Dylan liked me as much as I liked him.


	10. Chapter 10

By lunch on Friday, a good amount of people at the table had figured out that Dylan and I were dating. Eric knew and he was frequently scowling when we were together, but he seemed fine when I was alone with him. I’d told Devon and Robyn and I think Dylan had told Brooks, too. Other than word of mouth, there wasn’t really another way to figure out that we were dating. He was still driving me to and from school while I was at my dad’s house but we didn’t hold hands in the hallway or anything. I was eating a piece of (quite disgusting) cafeteria pizza when Dylan plopped his tray next to mine and sat with me.

“Hey.” He looked around the table, almost anxiously. 

“Hey. Is something wrong? You seem nervous.” I raised an eyebrow and rubbed his arm.

“No, it’s nothing.” He hesitated. “Just worried about Rocky. Maybe I’m being irrational but I’m just worried that he would get really aggressive if he found out about us.” He took my hand off of his arm and held it under the table. 

“Oh. If he comes over, let’s just ignore him. Or we can even leave. Go hang out outside, I know he hates it out there where he isn’t the center of attention. Just don’t worry.” I squeezed his hand.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thank you.” I wasn’t convinced that he had calmed down, but I accepted his answer. He dug through his backpack and pulled out a bag. “I brought you something.” He yanked out a plastic baggie with a brownie in it. “My mom made some a few days ago and I had a feeling they’d be gone by the time you came over.”

I took it out of his hand. “Thanks, Dyl.” He pursed his lips and blushed.

More people came to the table and filled it up. Our moment wasn’t so private anymore so we became a lot more quiet. I let my leg shift to touch his as we ate, trying to savour the brief exchange.

After school, Jan picked me up. I didn’t let Dylan drive me home because I was gonna see him tonight and Jan was off work anyways. I climbed into her SUV and smiled.

“Hey sweetie. How was school?” she asked, carefully pulling out.

“Good. Uneventful.” I sat on my hands and looked at her. She was younger than my dad and a good fit for him as far as I could tell. At least better than my mom was. 

“What time are you going to Dylan’s?” 

“Five.” I didn’t have as much time as I would have preferred to have to get ready, but it was still doable. I bounced my legs and scanned the parking lot for people I knew. I didn’t see anyone. 

We pulled up to the house and I ran ahead of Jan. I grabbed my tiny bag of makeup off of my dresser and went into the bathroom.

My makeup from school had almost completely worn off. I decided to leave my foundation because I didn’t really need any more than they light amount I already had. I redid my eyeliner and added some shimmery pink eyeshadow to my eyelids. I put on some lip gloss, adding to the girly vibe I was evidently going for. I already had planned my outfit.

I put on my brown and white plaid skirt that reached a little past mid thigh and paired it with a white tank top and a grey cardigan. I was really thankful for the cooler weather because I could hide my scars a lot more easily. I put on my Mary Janes, strangling my pointer fingers as I shoved my heel in. I brushed my hair and pinned back a few strands. I had taken really long to get ready even though I was barely doing anything. I still had forty minutes before I had to leave, though. I sat on my bed and looked around my room. I had remembered to bring my sketchbook so I started to draw. I didn’t get very far in my illustration of Dylan’s cat before it was time to go.

“I’m ready, Jan!” I called, shoving my phone and the gloss I’d used into my mini bag. I slung it over my shoulder and walked out to the living room where she was sitting.

“Oh, you look gorgeous! Come on, let’s go.” She grabbed her keys and walked outside with me close behind. I was smiling. If Jan thought I looked good, hopefully Dylan would, too. But maybe that was just her being supportive. 

The car ride was silent other than Jan giving random dating advice and asking me questions. 

“I don’t know what time your dad wants you home. I don’t think it’s a big deal, personally, just come home before dawn I guess. Maybe before four am.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t stay until four am.” I laughed.

“Good. I don’t want to set a ton of rules for you. I think you can handle yourself.” 

Soon enough, we were at Dylan’s.

“Nice place. Have fun!” she called as I stepped out.

“Thanks, Jan. Bye!” I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. A few seconds later, Dylan opened the door. Jan drove off after that.

“Hey, Lily,” he said. He was wearing some dark jeans and a black henley shirt. 

“Hey, Dylan,” I responded, unable to stop smiling. 

“You look really cute.” He eyed me up and down. “Come on, food is ready.” He grabbed my hand and led me into his dining room.

The table had a clean cloth on it. It was well lit with the lights dimmed down. The table was long, but two seats in the middle across from each other were set with silverware. 

Dylan pulled out a chair for me and I sat down, looking at him the entire time.

“Dylan, not complaining at all, but you’re taking this way more seriously than I expected,” I giggled. He shrugged and smiled.

“Okay, I’m gonna get the food. Be right back.” He comically leaned down very far to kiss me on the cheek and went back into the kitchen. He came back with two plates of mac and cheese. I laughed.

“Very formal.” He smiled as he gave me a plate.

“My mom got home too late to cook, hope you don’t mind. It’s good mac and cheese, you know.”

“I do not mind at all. Thank you.” I grabbed a fork full and shoved it in my mouth. I swallowed it. “And you’re right. It’s delicious.”

“Good. My parents are upstairs but they said they want to meet you later.” I nodded. 

“You eat your mac and cheese with a spoon?” I exclaimed, noticing.

He furrowed his brow. “What the fuck else would you eat it with?”

“A fork, like a normal person!” I laughed.

“Sorry I’m not a psychopath.” He scooped another spoonful into his mouth while making eye contact with me.

“Sorry, Dyl, but that’s a dealbreaker,” I teased. 

“Fine, you want me to use a fork?”

“No. Eat your mac and cheese in peace. I think it’s kind of cute. Weird but cute.” He rolled his eyes but I could see him resisting a smile.

We finished our food and Dylan took our plates into the kitchen. I heard him by his stairs yelling.

“Mom, you can come down now!” he called. He came back into the dining room. “My mom’s coming.”

“I heard.” I stood up and pushed my chair in, dusting the imaginary crumbs off of my lap and straightening out my hair.

Moments later, his mom came in. she was tall and thin, like him, and she had a pixie cut to her hair with a slightly darker color than his.

“Mom, this is Lily. Lily, this is my mom.”

She smiled to me. “Call me Sue. I’ve heard so much about you from Dylan!” She extended her hand and I shook it, feeling awkward but pushing through nonetheless. 

“It’s great to meet you,” I said. 

“Oh the pleasure’s all mine.” We spoke for a few minutes before she looked at Dylan, sensing his growing impatience. “Well, I’ll leave you guys too it.” She went back upstairs and Dylan took hold of my hand, taking me to his living room.

We sat together and he grabbed the remote, flipping through channels. “Your mom’s a sweetie.”

“I guess. Good thing my dad isn’t home, he’s a lot more awkward and quiet.” I smiled. “Do you wanna watch a movie?” he asked. 

“Sure.” He got up and pulled a vhs tape from a stack. 

“How about Pulp Fiction?” He looked over his shoulder as he squatted to see my face.

“Fine by me.” He set it up and came back to sit with me. He used the remote to play it and then set it down on the table, putting his arm around me and holding me by the waist.

We didn’t talk much for most of the movie other than me asking plot questions and him answering, jokingly angered. We finished the movie after what seemed like forever. He pulled me closer to him and I turned so my body was facing his. 

“This was the perfect night,” he mumbled to me. I smiled and kissed him. When I stopped, I left my forehead pressed to his. We kept staring at each other until he kissed me again, this time snaking his arm around my lower back and pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders leaned into the kiss. Before I knew it, it was more of a sloppy makeout than a kiss. Tongue got involved somehow and he was running a hand up and down my side while his other rested a bit low on my back. I touched my hands to his chest, taking everything in. Eventually, we pulled away. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured while playing with my hair as I leaned against his shoulder. “And your hair. God, I love your hair.”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” I whispered back. 

He didn’t answer and just kissed my nose.


End file.
